1. Technical Field of the Invention
The subject of the present invention is a tool for gripping a collar formed integrally with the mouth of a plastic bottle.
More specifically, but not exclusively, the tool can be usefully applied in bottling machines in order to allow the bottles to be gripped and handled.
Reference is made in particular to a tool comprising a flat body having an edge which is essentially in the form of an arc of a circle with a diameter between the diameter of the mouth and that of the collar. The body is designed to surround part of the mouth of the bottle with its circular edge. Located on an upper surface of the body, close to its edge, there are at least three pointed projections which extend upwards and define a horizontal support plane on which the collar is designed to rest.
2. Prior Art
A tool of this type is already known in which the pointed projections, which perform the function of securely gripping the collar on the neck of the bottle, are made as one piece with the main body of the tool.
In known tools the pointed top end of the projections is subject to wear, with a consequent reduction in the firmness with which the collar is gripped. This means that the worn tool needs to be replaced fairly frequently with a new tool. This disadvantage is compounded in aseptic bottling machines where the tools that grip the bottles are generally made of stainless steel, a material notorious for its poor resistance to wear. Each time the tools need to be replaced, the bottling line has to be stopped for a considerable period of time, resulting in a significant increase in production costs.
The object of the present invention is to overcome the abovementioned limitations and drawbacks of the known art by means or a gripping tool that can be reliably used for long periods of time without having to be replaced, even when employed in an aseptic bottling environment.
One advantage of the invention in question is that it provides a tool that is simple and cheap to construct.
A further advantage is that it makes available a tool that does not have any small recesses, cracks, gaps or the like in which perishable material could get trapped and stagnate giving rise to the growth of bacteria. The tool in question can therefore be used for filling plastic bottles under aseptic conditions without the risk of contaminating the bottled product with bacteria.
These objects and advantages, together with others, are all achieved by the invention in question, as characterized by the claims set out below.